A Tilt Table Procedure for Measuring the Static Rollover Threshold for Heavy Trucks

Scope

The test procedure applies to roll coupled units such as straight trucks, tractor semitrailers, full trailers, B-trains, etc. The test is aimed at evaluating the level of lateral acceleration required to rollover a vehicle or a roll-coupled unit of a vehicle in a steady turning situation. Transient, vibratory, or dynamic rollover situations are not simulated by this test. Furthermore, the accuracy of the test decreases as the tilt angle increases, although this is a small effect at the levels of tilt angle used in testing heavy trucks. The test accuracy is accepted for vehicles that will rollover at lateral acceleration levels below 0.5 g corresponding to a tilt table angle of less than approximately 27 degrees. Even so, the results for heavy trucks with rollover thresholds greater than 0.5 g could be used for comparing their relative static roll stability.